Facebook Tips

It drives more sales to your Facebook shop. According to data from comScore, 64% of consumers are more likely to buy products after watching videos about them. You can use the power of video ads to get more prospective customers interested in your store.

Image: Digiday.com

Follow these steps and you’ll be well on your way to creating great video content for your Facebook shop.

1. Choose a specific audience

Rather than create content that targets anyone, focus on creating videos that target a specific audience segment. These videos are more likely to get clicks to your website, shares, comments and likes.

Instead of making a general video that covers everything, create a video for one specific product or service in your Facebook store. General videos are good for branding but not for businesses focused on driving sales.

2. Get the viewers attention quickly

The most effective videos on Facebook get to the point right away. You need to catch the attention of your audience in the first 5 seconds. Most videos are muted unless the user clicks on the audio button. This means that you need to strong visuals to accompany the audio that you have. Some viewers are likely to skip videos that are too commercial, so keep it personal and interesting.

3. Keep it short

Most marketers will recommend that you create videos that are about 30 seconds long (any longer and people tend to get less interested).

In some cases you can make the video up to 2 minutes long (if you’re adding value during the whole video). There are a few cases where long videos might work. For example, users already know your brand and like your content. Also, if the video is useful or entertaining, your niche may be willing to invest time watching it. If you’re new to video, start with a short 30-second video showing off one of your best selling items.

There are hundreds and hundreds of writers out there sharing information about Facebook, but what content is the best?

At ShopTab, we like to focus our content on selling on Facebook with a Facebook store. We’ve pulled together a list of other, related blogs and publications that you should be reading as well. We recommend bookmarking these pages or subscribing to their content if you want the freshest Facebook-related content around!

But how do you decide which posts to spend money on? You probably already know that you can boost everything. You only want to spend money on posts that will help you grow your business.

The key to choosing posts that have already gotten noticeable engagement. Audiences are more likely to engage with your content if they’ve noticed that others have already “liked” or “shared” the content. Use the traction you already have on a post to validate that the post is high quality and then boost it to reach more people.

If you boost a post prematurely, you may be wasting money on a post that doesn’t resonate with people. No matter how good you think a post is, it may not be what your audience wants. It’s difficult to predict exactly what your fans want to see, and the only way to know for sure is by boosting posts that do well organically.

But how many “likes” and “shares” makes a post high quality?

The answer varies for everyone. A good rule of thumb is to only boost a post that in in the top 15%-20% of your best performing content. You may want to double down on boosting if you’re in a busy shopping season.

When you choose a post to boost, always remember to track the results using your Facebook store analytics dashboard. You’ll be able to see how many people people engaged with your post, how many “buy now” clicks you had in your store and how many Facebook store page views you had. This information will help guide future decisions about what content is best for promoting.

Have any questions about promoting your Facebook shop content? Email us at support@shoptab.net or message us on Facebook!

Mobile commerce is exploding, and there’s no sign that it will slow down. Driven by rapid adoption of tablets and smartphones and faster, easier ways to pay, mobile commerce now accounts for 7 percent of all e-commerce sales, roughly a 7x increase since 2010. That number is expected to rise to more than 50 percent in the next three years.

In previous posts we’ve shown how much Facebook store sales on mobile devices have grown over the past year. Customers want to shop on the go, make purchases when they’re ready to buy, and not be held up by the need for a computer or a physical store.

Advertising on Facebook can be an effective way to drive sales to your Facebook store, but all of the advertising options can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start.

What’s the correct way to target your audience? What type of ad should you choose? How much money should you spend?

Most posts about advertising on Facebook will tell local businesses to target people in their zip code or only serve your ads to very specific people within a certain age group (e.g. if you run a women’s clothing store, targeting women between ages 28-34).

That’s a great place to get started, but there’s a better way to invest in Facebook advertising using lookalike audiences. A Facebook lookalike audience is a type of custom audience that allows you to create highly specific targeting for your Facebook ads.

Typically when creating targets with Facebook you’re presented with a basic set of options to choose from: location, demographics, interests, behaviors, etc.

Lookalike Audiences helps you create new audiences based on characteristics from one of the following:

Website visitors: Install a Facebook pixel on your site. Then create Lookalike Audiences based on people who’ve visited specific pages on your website.

Page fans: Use Lookalike Audiences to create an audience based on people that like your page.

Custom Audiences: Upload a list of your existing customers using Custom Audiences. Then use Lookalike Audiences to find people that resemble that audience.

What this means is that you can upload a list of your own customers to Facebook, Facebook will cross-reference the emails with their database, and then they’ll create a Custom Audience made up of the people on your list who also used that same e-mail to sign up to a Facebook account.

You can generate your Lookalike Audience from your Custom Audiences. Facebook will look at all the profile data of the people in your custom audience and create a new list of Facebook users that share similar demographics and interests.

A common misconception about Facebook advertising is that it costs a lot of money. The reality is: advertising doesn’t have to break the bank. There’s likely a lot of room in your Facebook shop budget for a few well-targeted promotions.

If you’ve been selling on Facebook for a while, you’ve probably run into the problem of reaching a limited number of users (even if you have great content). Organic posts can go a long way, but promoting your content can help your Facebook store reach new heights.

We put together a simple Facebook marketing strategy that you can launch with only $10.

1. Decide what posts you want to promote.

Not all content is worth promoting. Be picky about the posts that you spend money on. You want to only promote posts that link directly to your Facebook shop and have a compelling offer for your potential customers.

2. Create unique content to accompany your post.

If you’re just posting stock photos, you’re not doing a great job telling the story of your business. Take compelling photos or create videos that are unique to your brand and your story. For instance, if you sell clothing, post a picture of one of your happy customers.

3. Make your audience specific and targeted.

You can target your exact audience when boosting a post. Choose “People who like your page” or “People who like your page and their friends” to reach the people you want to reach. Target people who like your page if you want to reach people who are already familiar with your brand.

4. Track your results

Nailing down the best images and copy may require testing. Measure the impact your promotions have on sales in your Facebook shop and then iterate until you’re seeing impact.

If you’ve recently opened your Facebook shop and are wondering which store design to choose, look no further. Our newest store design, the Modern Template, provides all kinds of added value to both Facebook sellers and buyers.

You can select your store design by clicking Settings in your ShopTab admin followed by Store Design Options.

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From here, you can select Modern under Store Layout.

There are many enhancements the Modern Template gives you that other store layouts may not provide. Here are a few key areas you should consider when selecting your template design.

1. Mobile Users

The modern template was optimized top-to-bottom for mobile users. The number of mobile users on Facebook is growing rapidly and the number of users who are shopping on Facebook with mobile devices is growing just as quickly. Facebook has recently announced that 85% of Facebook users access the social network through mobile devices, and the numbers are only expected to rise.

The modern template was uniquely designed to convert mobile users. The product landing pages are clear, clean, and easy to navigate.

The entire design was built to help you convert more customers on mobile devices.

2. Categories Layout

Our new categories layout feature highlights all of your Facebook store’s key categories. The design helps customers navigate a large amount of products quickly, and the feature looks great on mobile devices too! Set your categories in your ShopTab admin and your customers will thank you.

3. Promotion Capabilities

Promotion codes are incredibly selling tools. They draw attention to your products, encourage more of your fans to purchase items, and help you retain customers.

If you’re using ShopTab’s integrated cart with our Modern Template to sell in your Facebook shop, you now have the ability to create unlimited promotions codes to support your social marketing activities.

4. Shipping methods & features

Having flexible shipping options for your customers is important, especially if you sell a variety of products. When using the Modern Template, you’ll see a Shipping tab appear under the Settings option. This will give you access to all kinds of Facebook store shipping options and features that allow you to completely control your shipping experience.

Use our flexible shipping features to implement in-store pick-up, expedited charges and international surcharges. Anything you set up on the shipping page will appear directly in the buyer’s cart.

6. Performance monitoring

Our Facebook store performance dashboard allows you to monitor all of your store’s activity. You can see social activity, buy clicks, promotions, and more, all from within your ShopTab admin. Use the dashboard to see when promotions are driving traffic to your store or learn when the best time to post is.

Get started with the Modern Template!

If your Facebook store sales aren’t where you’d like them to be, try the Modern Template. It opens up access to all of the features listed above, helping you drive more store traffice, increase sales, and monitor your store activity.

What does verification mean?

If your page is verified, you’ll receive a verification badge that comes in the form of a gray checkmark next to your Page name. The badges are currently available for businesses with a physical location in the US, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

You’re not required to verify your page, but verification is has a few benefits. It tells your Facebook shop customers that your page is authentic and that they’ve landed in the right spot. Verified pages will also show up higher in search results.

How do I get my page verified?

If you’re an admin and your Page is eligible, you’ll see an option for verification in your Page’s Settings. To verify your Page, you can use your business’ publicly listed phone number or a business document (ex: phone bill) to complete the verification.

Here’s a step-by-step rundown of how to verify your Page:

Click Settings at the top of your Page

From General, click Page Verification

Click Verify this Page, then click Get Started

Enter a publicly listed phone number for your business, your country and language

Click Call Me Now to allow Facebook to call you with a verification code

Enter the 4-digit verification code and click Continue

If you prefer to verify your Page with a business document, you may need to upload a picture of an official document showing your business’ name and address.

Facebook will then review the document with your info to confirm that it matches public records and send you a notification or email about your verification status. Usually the verification process takes a few days.

If you have any questions about page verification or starting your own Facebook store, send us a message on Facebook or email us a support@shoptab.net

We’re excited to announce a brand new overhaul of our Facebook shop shipping options. Shipping is a large part of the ecommerce experience, and it can be tough to manage if you don’t have the right tools.

The new ShopTab shipping options and features give you full control over your shipping experience, and it can all be managed within your ShopTab account.

Shipping options

1. None – This is the default option for your ShopTab account. If you want to include your shipping charges as part of your product price or use the shipping that PayPal provides via their shipping calculator, you’ll want to select this option.

2. Flat – This option sets the same shipping rate for every item in your store. The designated rate will be applied to all products that are in your buyer’s cart.

3. Flat + – This option sets the same shipping rate for the first item in your buyer’s cart and then a second rate for each additional item in your buyer’s cart.

4. Product – This option allows you to set a unique shipping rate for each product listing. Each individual of these product listing shipping rates for items placed in the cart will be added up to reflect the total shipping charge.

5. Weight – This option allows you to input the weight of the item within each product listing. You will then set your shipping rates based upon total weight of the items in your buyer’s cart.

Shipping features

Our new shipping options also come with a handful of great features. Within the Shipping tab in your ShopTab admin, you’re able to set free store pickup, add an expedited surcharge, and set an international shipping charge.

Any added features that you choose will appear as options within your buyers’ cart.

When the buyer is in the cart they’ll see an option for expedited surcharge. If selected, the price is added to the base shipping method.

If you want to change the text that is displayed in the cart for any of the features mentioned above, you’ll see an area on the bottom of the Shipping tab to make text edits.

All of the shipping options and features will appear for both desktop and mobile users. That’s important considering the number of Facebook users who now show via their mobile phones.

If that’s the question you’re asking yourself after opening your Facebook shop, you’re not alone. Getting your first Facebook store sale is exciting and important as you grow your Facebook presence. Luckily, there are several ways you can promote your products to your fans.

There are two types of promotions that you can use on Facebook: organic and paid.

Organic promotions

Organic promotions are promotions that you don’t pay for. Organic promotion refers to the News Feed stories automatically generated from the actions taken by people on your Facebook Page or Page posts. For example, when someone likes something you publish to your Page, their friends may see a story about it in the News Feed.

There have been some articles published claiming that it’s impossible to reach a large number of people on Facebook without paying for ads, but we’d beg to differ – you cansell on Facebook without ads if you’re good at promoting your products.

There are a handful of options for organic promotion that you can access within your Facebook store admin. Here are just a few examples:

Here’s a great example of an organic promotion that one of our Facebook store customers used to get 138 likes, 12 comments, and 12 shares without paying for any ads.

Remember to always include our Facebook shop smart links in your post, so users on all devices can easily access your products. The simple act of posting about your products with an image and link has been shown to greatly improve your chances of driving sales in your Facebook store.

You’ll be able to view the results of your organic posts using our analytics dashboard. You’ll likely notice that days with more organic promotions drive more clicks, more social shares, and more buy clicks.

Paid promotions

Paid promotions are any promotions that (you guessed it!) have to be paid for. Due to limitations set by Facebook, the maximum audience reach of certain posts will be limited to the audience they’ve specified. With paid promotions, you can work your way around these limitations and reach a higher degree and number of targeted audiences that your content is intended for.

The procedure for promoting a post is fairly easy but you must also rely of effective techniques to make your campaign more effective. This includes the use of good headlines as well as creative and eye-catching graphics that will entice targeted audiences to read and engage with your post.

Facebook ads come in all shapes and sizes, and there are more than 10 different Facebook ads categories. After you’ve experimented with boosting a post, you can try some of Facebook’s other ad options, such as:

Multi-product carousel ads

Call-to-action button promotion

Creating an “offer” button that points to your Facebook store

The important part about Facebook advertising is testing. Odds are you won’t get everything right the first time you advertise. You’ll have to learn over time what ads work and what ads flop. Don’t put all of your money into one add campaign and then get surprised when it doesn’t have the results you wanted. Spend in small chunks to test conversion, learn something, and then continue to test.